Umuofia readies for the annual Feast of the New Yam, a ritual honoring Ani, the earth goddess, and the ancestors. All cooking vessels are cleaned, walls are painted, and the women adorn themselves with intricate body‑paint. Okonkwo, now a man of three wives, is asked to host a large guest list but he feels uneasy, preferring farm work to prolonged feasting.

On the night before the festival, Okonkwo, brooding in his compound, questions why a banana tree has been “killed.” When his second wife, Ekwefi, explains she only trimmed a few leaves, Okonkwo beats her brutally and leaves her and her young daughter, Ezinma, weeping. He then fetches his old rusty gun, asks Ikemefuna to bring it, and, after a tense exchange, mistakenly fires at Ekwefi as she climbs the barn wall. The gun discharges, startling the family; Ekwefi is unhurt but frightened.

The next morning Okonkwo offers a sacrificial new yam and palm‑oil to the ancestors, asking for protection for his children and wives. In‑laws arrive with pots of palm‑wine, and the house is filled with eating and drinking. The second day of the New Year brings the great wrestling match between Umuofia and neighboring villages.

Ekwefi, now described as a forty‑five‑year‑old woman who once won Okonkwo’s heart by defeating “the Cat,” revels in the prospect of the contest. She and Ezinma work together in the kitchen: Ekwefi kills a fowl, plucks it, and prepares a pottage while Ezinma lifts boiling water and asks riddles about fire. Their dialogue shows Ezinma’s precociousness and Ekwefi’s practical focus.

Nwoye’s mother, Okonkwo’s first wife, calls for firewood; Ezinma brings coals and builds a fire, while a mischievous nanny‑goat chews yam peelings. Drums from the village playground (the ilo) begin to beat, announcing the wrestling dance. Okonkwo, moved by the rhythm, feels a familiar fire of ambition.

Meanwhile, Obiageli, Nwoye’s sister, arrives crying after breaking her water‑pot while playing. She explains she was pretending to be an adult, swaying her waist, and only began to weep near the iroko tree. Ikemefuna watches solemnly as the children bring their pots.

At the feast, Okonkwo eats the food prepared by his first wife, while Obiageli sits nearby. He scolds her to “sit like a woman,” but later compliments her sense. Nkechi, the daughter of Okonkwo’s third wife, enters carrying another dish. The drums continue, building anticipation for the wrestling match that will commence at sunset.